Understanding the mind of a golfer

My late dad was a passionate Golfer . He would play almost everyday with his group of friends after his morning class. He was a primary school teacher and the golf club house was like his second home. A place for him to socialize and go golfing with his buddies. Ocassionally during the weekend competition, he would bring me along to be his caddy. I was then around 12 years old , a tiny skinny kid pulling the golf trolley across the open field. It requires effort because it was rather heavy. I was eager for the game to end because it was so tiring and not fun because I did not know how to appreciate the game. Another reason is searching for the loss ball that went a little wild, a little too far and a little too wide.

I never understood why a group of men hitting a tiny ball and later chase after it just to putt into a tiny hole. In between you will witness the drama of emotions among the players .

I join my late dad golf club membership about 10 years ago. Unfortunately, his membership has long been expired and was not transferable. So I applied as a new member. I only started playing a few years down the road. This is because joining a golf club seems to be more of a social recognition because most of the other managers in my company were playing too Golf is a game that sparks your emotion and you will experience it like an emotional rollercoaster. There will be highs and lows playing the game.

I was a late starter despite knowing the game at a much younger age. Picking the game at 40 meant my youthful flexibility is not like before. So, I was having a hard time comforming to my full swing which requires quite a stretch. The more I got into the game, the more I learn about myself .Its not just about mastering the game play but mastering what goes inside the mind and emotion. Let me explain further.

Managing emotion
Just like the brand name "onoff" suggest. There are days when you are like playing on off days , it is a struggle to keep the ball on play, ball going wide, missing balls and or just could not clear the hazard. And there are days when I am in the zone, scoring pars and single boogies and total score in line with my handicap. It is those off days, the player must learn to control the emotion , frustration and refocus on every swing he makes.

Its a strategy game.
" Its not how you drive but how you arrive "that matters. Some golfers seem to feel proud that they are a hard hitter as if their ego depended on the distance they can drive their ball. Because the game of golf is about getting the ball into the hole from the point of tee off with the least number of strokes. Furthemore the golf course has hazard, bunkers and uneven green landscape with obstacles that makes the game intresting and challenging. Its all about positioning before the next swing. Since each hole is uniquely design, you need to approach it with different strategy in order to limit the number of strokes.

Its a gentleman game
Golf is a game of honour. There are many opportunity to cheat in the game. For example you normally keep track of your own score but a seasoned player has the ability to track all other players score too. So sometimes, perhaps you did hit the extra miss shot without being seen but you did not declare it and decide to omit it from the total score, thats cheating. Because that extra count could be the determining factor to winning or losing the game. Another example is when the ball is at the sand bunker, your iron must not rest on the ground before play which make the shot tricky and difficult. If you did, that would construe as a penalty shot which add another point to your score. Or perhaps your ball lay is in the rough but you kick it softly for a more favourable spot. Thats cheating again.

It takes lots of integrity and honesty to play the game as it is. But because the strong desire to win, the temptation to close one eye is ever present. The objective is to have the least score comparing to the other players (assuming all on same handicape) in order to win the game.

Thats me in bright orange tee-shirt , enjoying the first round of golf year 2018 with Wilfred.

Its a game that motivates you to improve
Golf is a game that you are playing against your best. The handicap system allows you to compete fairly with the more skillful players but it is also a system that motivates you to climb the ranking as your handicap goes down. Upon getting the clearance to play, you start off with handicap 36 and you make your way up by reducing your total score each time you play. The lower your handicap, the higher in rank you climb. A lot of competition only allow handicap of 24 and below to join. Usually the prizes is very attractive as it attracts major sponsors. So it is motivating factor to join. At times the prize money can be a Mercedes Benz car for the hole in one. So, it is strong motivation to keep on improving to increase your chances of winning.

I have use some golf lingo in my post so knowing them means you are able to converse intelligently with another golfer.

So, if you have not played golf before, why would you taking it up? The reason I took it up was this:

1.) It have me a 576,534 reason to travel. That's the number of golf course in the world

2.)It's a social game to build friendship. You get to meet many interesting people. Despite people from different background and profession, Golf is the common ground for all.

3.)It builds character and mental focus. Each game is different and to be consistent, you need to be mentally sharp at all times.

4.) It allows me to dress up colorfully, I only started wearing striking shirts and checked colored pants upon playing golf. Because it's a norm to dress up strikingly so you will be notice and recognise on the green golf course. " Hey, where's Fred? " a reply " oh, he's the guy with the yellow Nike cap and red teeshirt."

So, when will you be picking up the game?See you on the course.